Chapter 5 (The Prince Arrives)
Chapter 5
The sun had set hours ago, casting the countryside into peaceful darkness. However, at Sweet Apple Acres, things were neither peaceful nor dark as the farm had been transformed into a makeshift command post, with ponies coming and going while magical lights were set out to help push back the night.
Of course the Apple family wasn’t particularly happy, what with all of the ruckus caused by the guard as they came and went from the farm. However it couldn’t really be helped as Sweet Apple Acres was deemed the logical place to set up a command post. As there were spare buildings readily available for both storage and sleeping arrangements, it was easy to find in the dark, and the fact that the farm had running water didn’t hurt either.
Of course from the way Granny Smith, the matron of the farm, made it out to be, one would think that the guard had let the creature get away on purpose just so that they could bother the farming family.
Naturally this was completely unfair to the guard as the rest of the platoon had arrived within minutes after the first flare had gone up. Unfortunately, they had been still been too late to do anything to stop the creature from getting away, thus forcing them to alter their plans accordingly.
Currently those plans included stomping ones hoof in mounting frustration, at least if you happened to be Lieutenant Palisade listening to the final bit of Sergeant Flare Shot’s report.
“...and then it was gone sir.”
“Did you send anypony after it?”
Flare Shot nodded. “Yes sir, I had the few pegasi that were here follow it along with one of the rangers, the other one’s over by the house waiting to give you his report...I think.”
Palisade rolled his eyes before saying, “Thank you Sergeant Shot, I’ll be sure to mention you in my dispatches back to headquarters, as well as your illusionist.”
“Don’t forget Comet Tail sir, the coward bolted at the first sign of trouble.”
Palisade nodded and waved a hoof dismissively. “Yes, yes, I’ll be sure to mention him in my report as well. I should also mention that we managed to apprehend him and he is currently in the Ponyville jailhouse right now, in case you were wondering sergeant.”
“Thank you sir, that’s a load off my mind at any rate. Was there anything else that I can help you with?” asked Flare Shot. When Palisade shook his head, Flare gave a quick salute and departed.
Watching him go for a moment, Palisade let out a tired sigh.
“Are you alright Lieutenant?”
Glancing over to his right he said tiredly, “No Miss Sparkle I am not ‘alright’. This whole situation has gone from bad to worse. Not only has the creature escaped, but now it knows that we are aware of its presence and may do something tonight while it is dark out and difficult for the guard to operate. That and your friends grandmother seems to have it in her head that all of my ponies are complete idiots.”
Twilight gave a sheepish smile. “You’ll have to forgive Granny Smith; she gets a little cranky when her afternoon nap is interrupted.”
Palisade rolled his eyes. “Be that as it may, the current situation is hardly ideal seeing as I have one pony in jail for attempted desertion and another one comatose in a first aid tent nearby...from a spider. All this, on top of having to contain a potentially dangerous creature on its own turf while being short hooved as it is.”
“Now let us not be too hasty in our judging of the current situation Lieutenant,” a posh voice said suddenly from behind Palisade.
Startled, the frazzled lieutenant whirled around, intent to chew out the idiot who had startled him, but upon seeing exactly who was behind him, the fiery words died on his lips.
“Prince Blueblood! I didn’t know that you were here, let alone aware of the situation yet, sir.”
“Both myself and the princesses have been aware of the...situation here in Ponyville since this morning, thanks to Ranger Feather Down sending us a message via the new telegraph line from Ponyville.”
“Wait, are you telling me there was another ranger here in Ponyville this whole time and I wasn’t made aware of that?!” replied the lieutenant hotly.
Blueblood gave him a rather cool look which quickly smothered Palisades’s temper.
“Yes, there was, and the reason you weren’t made aware of her presence was because she was here at the behest of Princess Celestia and myself on another assignment, and thus was not available for your use,” replied the prince calmly.
Turning to regard Twilight, he gave a polite nod of his head in greeting, as was customary amongst those of the nobility, of which Twilight’s family was a part of; though hers were from a minor noble house rather than one of the great houses, such as Blueblood’s family.
“Ms. Sparkle it is nice to...see you again,” said Blueblood politely.
Twilight returned a forced grin and replied, “The pleasure is all mine, Your Grace.”
Giving her a satisfied smile, he turned his attention back to the lieutenant.
“Now, as I was saying before you interrupted me,” at this, Palisade averted his gaze slightly in embarrassment, though if Blueblood noticed, he made no mention before continuing on saying, “both Princess’s Celestia, Luna, and myself have been made aware of a creature that may have ties to Discord. As such, Princess Celestia had me come down here to oversee things personally. I trust that this will not be a problem lieutenant?”
Glad to finally have somepony to shoulder the burden of leadership off on, Palisade replied quickly, “Not at all, Your Grace, I am more than happy to hoof this mess over to you, sir.”
“Good, then why don’t the both of you bring me up to speed on what has been happening since the initial letter we received this morning,” responded Blueblood simply as he sat himself down on a nearby camp stool.
Giving a tired nod, Palisade quickly brought the prince as up to speed as he could; given the information he currently had, with Twilight interjecting where needed. When Palisade finally wound down nearly an hour later, Blueblood gave a curt nod and turned to Twilight saying, “Anything else that you wish to add Ms. Sparkle?”
“No, that should be just about it,” she replied, though when she saw the cross look Blueblood gave her, she quickly added, “Your Grace.”
Giving a pleased nod that protocol had been maintained, he remarked while glancing through the notes supplied to him by Twilight, “It seems as if this creature is an odd one. You say that it was a...” he trailed off for a moment as he double checked one of the papers before continuing, “…hairless, stunted and deformed minotaur? Not really much to work with I’m afraid.”
Twilight shifted nervously from hoof to hoof before replying, “I wasn’t able to see it for myself, so I had to rely on what the guards told me.”
Blueblood gave a thoughtful hum as he leaned back from the table and tapped his chin, as if pondering something.
“Are you sure there was nopony else who got a better look at the creature, perhaps one of the rangers, mayhap?”
Palisade groaned to himself in annoyance at having forgotten in all the excitement that the rangers had in fact gotten close enough to view it. Turning to a nearby unicorn, he said, “Go and fetch which ever ranger is close by, tell them that I need to debrief them.”
The guard gave a quick salute and took off. With the guard gone, the three ponies had little to do until his return; as such an awkward silence quickly filled the room. Not a big fan of awkward silences, Twilight cleared her throat and asked, “So...anything new happen in Canterlot recently, Prince Blueblood?”
Blueblood, who had been examining another paper, glanced up at Twilight and replied curtly, “Yes, but now is really not the time to distract ourselves with small talk. Perhaps later,” he paused for a moment as he glanced away from the paper in his magical grip, and said, in an amused voice, “Though if the silence bothers you that much, you are welcome to step out for a moment until the guard returns.”
Suddenly feeling as if she were being tested, Twilight hastily replied, “Oh, thank you for the offer Your Grace, but I’m fine...really! I was just curious is all, and seeing as we had some time before...um...they got...back? I...” noticing the unimpressed look that Blueblood was sending her way, Twilight quickly wilted, her words trailing off into an even more uncomfortable silence.
Seeing that there would be no further interruptions, Blueblood returned his attention to the papers before him, the perfect picture of a noble, calm, collected and aloof.
Thankfully for Twilight, she didn’t have to suffer in silence for long as the sound of approaching hoofsteps signaled the return of the guard, and hopefully the ranger as well.
Looking up from his current paper, Blueblood allowed himself smile and rising from his stool, and much to Twilight’s surprise, he greeted the new arrival warmly, “Ah, Ranger Ash Fall, a pleasant surprise, I was not aware that you were back from your assignment to the southern border so soon. Tell me, how is your wife and son?”
Ash gave the prince a courteous bow and replied respectfully, “She is well, and so is my son, though she does wish I would be home more often than I am, Your Grace.”
Blueblood chuckled and replied cheerfully, “Well, I’ll just have to see about convincing old Colonel Hickory to let you have some time off after this is all over with.”
“Thank you, Your Grace, you are too kind,” replied the ranger, bowing once more in thanks.
Blueblood gave a casual wave of his hoof, as if to dispel the gratitude directed towards him as if it were smoke.
“Think nothing of it, I wouldn’t be a very good friend if I did not offer my assistance to my friends once in a while now would I?” was Blueblood’s cheerful reply.
Ash gave a shallow nod. “I suppose so, though I doubt that you are here to catch up on old times and conduct small talk, sir.”
Blueblood shook his head. “No unfortunately, I am not, perhaps some other time in the near future,” he said somewhat sadly; that sadness didn’t last long however as he quickly gave himself a shake and continued on saying, “Now, enough about that, down to business. What is this that I hear about some creature that Discord has managed to summon to our fair realm?”
Ash adopted a more relaxed posture as he replied, “To be honest, Your Grace, I doubt that the creature is directly affiliated with Discord. Though I should hasten to add that does not mean that it is inherently harmless, merely that it is non chaotic in origin.”
Blueblood gave a thoughtful hum as he considered what Ash had told him. After a few moments of quiet thought, Blueblood said, “Give me your reasons for why you think it may not be related to Discord.”
“Very well,” replied Ash as he began to list off the various points that would support his hypothesis. “Firstly, Ranger Soft Wind and I managed to get within less than ten hooves of the creature at one point. Naturally it did not notice our presence and we were able to get a rough reading of its magical signature...or I should say its lack of one.”
“What?! How is that possible, it is proven fact that all creatures have some sort of magical signature in them! To say that it had none whatsoever is impossible!” Twilight shouted incredulous, cutting off Blueblood’s own query in the process and earning the mare a rather frosty glare from the prince.
Twilight, noticing the prince’s unhappy gaze, visible shrunk away from the unhappy royal, her ears pinning flat against her scalp, squeaking out an apology as she did so.
After glaring at her a little longer to make sure he got his point across, Blueblood turned his attention back to Ash, and asked, “Right, well as Ms. Sparkle so eloquently put it, I would have to agree that this revelation seems quite unlikely. I assume that you used a standard issue thaum crystal?”
“Yes, Your Grace,” replied Ash.
“And you are sure that it was working properly at the time, fully charged, no obvious signs of damage or magical tampering?” queried Blueblood.
Ash shook his head. “Not possible sir, that crystal was brand new, and was certified to be in perfect condition when I picked it up this morning.”
“Mayhap you accidently damaged it during the day?”
When Ash gave Blueblood a look that screamed, “You do realize who you are talking to right?” Blueblood awkwardly cleared his throat and hastily added, “I’m just trying to rule out possibilities here Ash, I didn’t mean to imply that you were being less than professional in your duties.”
Accepting the unvoiced apology, Ash gave a grunt before saying, “As I mentioned earlier, Your Grace, the crystal was in perfect condition, and it did not pick up any chaotic magic, beyond the remnants of what were already floating around. Though to be fair, getting a reading on a weak magical signature right after an extreme magical event, such as the activation of the Element of Harmony, tends to be more difficult. However, I can say with at least ninety-five percent confidence that the creature had either no magical signature or that it was so weak as to be nearly non-existent, and thus little to no threat.”
Bringing a hoof to his chin, Blueblood hummed thoughtfully to himself. “If what you are saying is true,” he began, looking down at the straw covered wooden floor of the barn as he did so, “then we should have little to fear from the creature. At least in terms of magical ability, though that does not mean that it might not have some other ability that we are unaware of at this time.”
Ash gave a nod in agreement. “That was my thoughts as well. Though honestly, the creature didn’t look all that frightening when one got close to it.”
Blueblood cocked an eyebrow. “Oh, pray tell what did it look like. As of right now, all I know about it is that it’s some sort of strange hairless minotaur. Honestly, you would think that we’d have a clear understanding of just what this creature looks like by now, seeing as there were dozens of witnesses present when it ran away earlier.”
Lieutenant Palisade cleared his throat in an attempt to catch Blueblood’s attention. Turning to look at the officer, Blueblood gave a nod of his head, an invitation for the lieutenant to proceed.
“Thank you, Your Grace,” began Palisade, when Blueblood waved his thanks away and motioned for him to continue, he quickly did. “Well...none of my ponies here are really qualified in regards to sketch work, nor in giving the best of descriptions. Honestly sir, most of my ponies aren’t even from the same units or have any real experience in fieldwork. Hay, my illusionist only recently got out of basic training less than a week ago.”
“Is there some kind of point that you wish to make here Lieutenant Palisade, or are you just trying to cover your flank?” asked Blueblood, his face a mask of perceived indifference.
Feeling himself in the proverbial hot seat, Palisade quickly shook his head and replied, “No sir, what I mean to say is that the guard is...lacking in a lot of skills when it comes to these types of situations. As much as it pains me to admit it, especially when a ranger is present,” he muttered that part to himself, “but the guard really isn’t much better than a glorified police force currently. I’ve submitted several reports on the less than...adequate training available at present, but they’ve been ignored as far as I can see.”
Giving another thoughtful hum, Blueblood turned back to Ash and asked, “What do you think of the lieutenant’s thoughts Ash?”
Ash gave a solemn nod in response. “I would say that he is understating the problem sir. As you know sir, we in the rangers are called upon to be the offensive arm of Equestria. In the past this usually meant that we fought terrible monsters or took care of delicate political situations. However recently, I, and my superiors, have noticed that we are being called upon more and more for things that the guard used to take care of themselves. The end result being that we are stretched thin, as you probably know, I haven’t been home in over four months, and some of my fellows haven’t seen home in nearly a year.”
Blueblood frowned at Ash’s reply. “I did not realize that things were getting that bad, at least not until Discord showed up, though at the time I chalked up the guard’s poor performance as little more than sending foals to fight a giant. I shall look into the matter further upon my return to Canterlot.”
Turning suddenly to the lieutenant, Blueblood said, “Lieutenant Palisade, as of now, you and those ponies currently under your command are to remain in Ponyville.”
“Sir?”
Blueblood sighed. “If what you are saying is true, and that you submitted reports attempting to bring to light deficiencies within the guard, then I want you right where I can easily find you, in case I have further questions on the matter. Moreover, seeing as how there is an unknown creature near Ponyville, it would behoove us to increase Ponyville’s defenses at this time.”
“However,” continued Blueblood, “this can all be discussed later, and in a more...private setting than a country barn. Now,” Blueblood turned his attention back to Ash, “Ranger Ash, seeing as how you were able to get close to the creature, am I correct to assume that you were able to get a good look at its features?”
“Yes, Your Grace, in fact Ranger Soft Wind was also able to draw a rough sketch of the creature and its companion as well,” he replied, taking a moment to pull a piece of sketch paper from his cloak.
Waving the ranger closer, Blueblood said, “Well then let’s see what we are dealing with here then, bring it over here please.”
Trotting over to the temporary table and its magical lantern, Ash set the paper down next to it with a hoof and slid it across to Blueblood. Taking it in his magic, he gazed at the paper for several moments before turning to regard Twilight with a calculating gaze. As if he were a teacher trying to determine if she actually knew the answer to a question he wanted answered.
Twilight for her part was one part excited, one part nervous and another part impatient, she was dying to see what was sketched on that paper!
Finally, after several long moments, Blueblood lowered the paper to the table and slid it across to Twilight, who all but pounced on it, snatching it up in her telekinesis. Palisade, also curious, edged around Ash to stand next to Twilight before then peering over her shoulder to see what was on the paper.
What they saw could only be described as something out of fable, because that was what it was.
Slowing looking up at Blueblood and Ash, Twilight said, “This-this is impossible!”
“And why is that?” asked Blueblood tiredly, as he cocked his head to one side.
Licking her lips nervously, Twilight glanced back down at the paper and replied; “Because, if this is an accurate sketch, then we might be dealing with...” she trailed off, as if unable to bring herself to say what she was thinking of saying. As if the mere thought of a creature such as this actually existing was so far beyond the realm of possibility that it bordered on the impossible.
Blueblood, quickly growing irritated at the lavender unicorns antics that night snapped at her saying, “Well? Are you going to finish speaking or just stand there with your mouth hanging open like a fish out of water?!”
Startled by the prince’s outburst, Twilight stammered out, “I-I’m s-orry, but, if this sketch is true then we might just be dealing with a...hoomun.”
An awkward silence descended upon the room as the ponies stared at one another before Palisade cleared his throat and asked hesitantly, “Um...what’s a “hoomun?”
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I gotta say, I like this version better than the previous. The other one seemed rushed, but it is clear to me that this one is very well thought out. Kudos
Two chapters in one week? You'll spoil us, if you keep this up.
I quite like this Blueblood, perhaps even more than the previous iteration's. While we can still see the affability of him and how he takes care to get the job done before anything, he now does feel like a noblepony who'd snub a gold digger like Rarity would have come off as at the Gala, a situation where there's no work to be done, at least not on his part.
Human legends... man, I have a feeling that this is gonna get a lot worse before it gets better. I'm vaguely expecting Allen not to sleep on a barred room in this one, though.
Good to see another chapter. Nice.^^
This is a "Hoomun" gentleman.
lili3000.persiangig.com/image/hanykoh%201/hooman%20joooon.jpg
If you think not. That a Persian name and it means "Only God Stays"
Hoo = God
Mun = Stays
Hoomun = God Stays
--
Also Great. it gonna be epic in the next chapter.
Pretty much Bluebood in this story:
Blueblood hums.
Blueblood rubs his chin.
Blueblood waves a hoof around in the air.
Blueblood gives a silent look to a pony who interrupts him.
Blueblood rubs his chin.
Blueblood hums.
And so on so forth.
However, I am liking this new Blueblood a lot more: he's not depicted as a blundering baffoon like I see most stories do, he seems to actually have some noble class. Perhaps he's been taking more lessons since the Gala about how to be more regal from a certain hopeless romantic in Canterlot?
Anyway, thanks for the update. The quality is just fine, I can see a couple of things that make me itch, but they're fine. Dialogue? No problem. Chapter being split in half? No problem. As long as you're writing chapters, we're all good.
well i didnt read the original hapters before the rewrite so i have no clue about who the expert is but based on common fancanon i would dare to point my finger to lyra heartstrings
6320189
I gave the exact same analysis of Shane from the walking dead
... I hope she isn't going to say how disgusting and horrible and mean and yucky 'hoomans' are.
Because that is almost as much of a 'filler' as the language barrier idea.
Might be... okay if it was done well, but it really wouldn't contribute anything other than ticking a cliche checklist box.
If you are running out of ideas/don't know where to take the story, stop and take some time to plan a bit, maybe make multiple things you could happen and what would follow after that, among any other ideas you might come up with.
Gotta watch out for their squishy soft claws! So soft, yet frightfully strong for their size. Reaching, curling... scritching! If it ever reaches you, you'll be a gonner! Rubbing just behind the ears and nape is how hoomuns use their mind-suppression ability. Turns a pony's brain to mush while the victim gets weak and collapses... all the while that hoomun grins it's wicked teeth and keeps at it, addicting the latest casualty to that insidious euphoria. It's the darkest kind of magic I tell ya'!
Once again I like how Blueblood isn't the generic, vapid, upper crust prince who does nothing but whine to his aunt. While I don't expect him to be fawning in praise of Twilight's accomplishments, his cool indifference and faint disapproval of her is rather off-putting.
So you're trying to make blueblood tolerable, huh? (I say trying because he is still an utter plot hole what with the way he is treating twilight, or do you just see twilight this way your self?) it's still early days to see how things will go but I do question why the princesses would have sent blue blood and not, let's say: a captain like shining armor,, a scientist or even a professional hunting pony with a tranquilliser and an Aussie accent just for giggles. It will be interesting to see what qualifies blue blood. Forgive me if I'm hating on blueblood, but I do not see him as a pony deserving of respect, at least not yet.
6320048 Thanks, it's fixed now.
hey Blueblood isnt really a twat....yet.
still doing good
I'm glad to see that your characterization of Blueblood hasn't made him out to be much of a prick, as well as actually having a place in the story. Seeing Blueblood have competence is always a plus, in my book.
It sort of makes a twisted sense. If unicorns, pegasi, minotaurs, dragons and the like are fables in our world, why shouldn't humans be legendary creatures in Equestria?
6321164
Should be "your friend's grandmother". Had the plural when it should had been possessive.
Should be "both Princesses Celestia and Luna, and myself"--you used the possessive for plural, and the way that was written, Blueblood was referring to himself as a Princess.
When you ended the paragraph and began a new one, Blueblood was still talking. You don't put quotes on the end of such paragraphs so the reader knows a new character hasn't begun to speak.
Great chapter, and I hope to read more soon!
6323447 Thanks, issues should be fixed now.
6324591 No prob'.
I like it.
All I remember from the first one is heavy party artillery shooting the engines as a certain pegasus punches holes into a a world war two era fighter plane.
That and Blueblood being really helpful with redtape. So for the hoomun expert, I choose
Celestia, Cadence, LyraThe Great and Powerful Trixie!Ah, the plot begins to thicken...
Hope everything is ok on your end.
6427802 I'm just busy right now, college dictates how much I write, and lately it hasn't been much.
6427962 Sorry my laptop derped, that was meant to go to a friend I am chatting to. Don't know how that ended up here...aaanyway take it easy dude!
6427979 ah okay.
Technically, the title of "Your Grace" refers to a Duke or Duchess.
Your Highness or Your Majesty would be more appropriate for a prince.
Your Excellency would be for a baron or baroness...
Etc...
From: Urban Dictionary
TOP DEFINITION
Hoomun
This is a Persian name and it means "Only God Stays"
Hoo = God
Mun = Stays
Hoomun = God Stays
Giving it more meaning it translates to "Everything goes and only God stays"
Not sure if that's what you were going for with this, but it would certainly be ominous as all hell if you did.
6548914 To be honest, I had thought I was making the word up, I didn't actually know that it existed.
6550332 An ironic twist then. Still a well crafted story.
Great chapter, looking forward to more.
6427962 I kinda understand what you mean by that. I took a well needed break when finals hit. Calculus. College is tough I tell ya. Can't wait to see what you have planned for this story.
Update?
7004786 When I've got time, and energy, please be patient.
7005518 derpicdn.net/img/view/2016/2/7/1082169__safe_solo_meme_animated_text_looking+back_angry_reaction+image_caption_background+pony.gif
7007500 Well excuse me for having a life outside of this fandom that I need to see to on a daily basis. Guess getting good grades in college and making sure I don't get super sick with bronchitis again isn't very important.
7007825 Good luck.
I love your portayal of blueblood. Glad too see others taking nobles seriously.
7203600 People can be dicks but also can be good leaders. So yes I agree
Delicious and nutritious! Tastes just like chicken!
tse3.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.ATV10QQS8uj6dUg7lM_goQEsDW&pid=15.1&P=0&w=243&h=175
Lol, movie vore.
'What's a 'Hooman'?'
I'm kinda curious 'bout that myself. I already know what a 'Hue-man' is, but not a 'Hoo-man'. Should be an interesting point of study.
I keep hearing how ferengi say human.
8886867
And I know what a Ro-man is.
8886867
Is hue-man a new superhero whose superpower is to change hue of his skin at will?
10540666
He's reddy for anything.
9624974
Ponies have excellent lobes.
Previous contact? Interesting...